Picker mounting for circular-knitting machines



Jvgy 22, 92@ 3562,39.

F. E. JONES FICKERMOUNTING FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed dan. 18, 1922 2 .eats-Sheet l my 22, wm 1,502,309

` F. E. JONES PICKER MOUNTING FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed dan. 1B i922 2 SheeLsShee1 2 Patented July 22, 1924.

D ST A TE. Si PAT r eric.

FRANK E. JONES, or PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, Assrcutonr To H'Erirnrnn COMPANY,

on cnNTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND,

A' CORPORATION on ivnlssacircsnrrs.

rIoKnn- MoUNTiNG 'non oiitcULAn-KNETTING MACHINES.

Application led- January 18, 1922. Serallio. 530,047.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known kthat I, FRANK E. JONES, a citizen of the United States, and` a resident of Pawtucket, in the county of Providence andState of Rhode Island, have invented an Improvement in Picker Mountings for Circular-Knitting Machines, of which the following. description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters onthe drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to knittingmachines and more particularly to circular knitting machines of lsmall diameter. f

In prder that the principles thereof may readily be understood` lI have disclosed la single embodiment of the invention` in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a plan view of a portion' of the machine and' particularly of the knitting cams and narrowing pickers, the latchring notpbeing shown e Y v Fig. 2 is a view similar to F ig. l, the latch ring being shown in functioningl position; and

Fig. 3 is a view, partly in vertical section taken through the latch ring, and partly' in elevation looking from therleft end Fig. l and showing the knitting cam block and the narrowing pickers. o

`The present or disclosedI embodiment of the invention involves a circular knitting machine otthe general type disclosed inthe patent to Hemphill No. 933,443 dated September- 7, 1909, butthis type of machinehas been adopted merely to illustrate the nature and function ofthe invention and it is distinctly to befunderstood that the invention is not limited to this particular type of mac-hine but may equally well be usedin connection with certainother types of knitting machines and especially with' circular knitting machines wherein the needlecylinder remains stationary while the cams thereof are revolved.

Inasmuch as my invention moreI particularly relates to the narrowing pickers used in heel andv toe work, it is unnecessary to show the 'machine' in detail.

While I am in no wise limitedthereto, desirably l provide -a needle carrier or` cylinder mounted-for rotary and also reciprocating movements in themanner fully disclosed4 in the said Hemphill patent; I have indicated diagraminatically at l in Fig. l the top of the needle cylinder or' carrier'. Surrounding the same is a cam carrier having various camsl for controlling. the movements of the knitting instruments in a manner which need not be described. Desirably the cam plate of the cam carrier is so mounted as to have limited vertical movementsl during the operation of the machine so as to v'ary'the lengthsr of the loops that are being producedby the rknittiing instruments which, in the disclosed embodiment of the invention, are latch needles, one herein shown.

I have indicated generally at 2 in Fig. l

the knitting cam block having. the several knitting cams thereon and which desirably are of the same generaly structure as those disclosed Vin y the said Hemphill Patent 933,443. In the present eXample'I have represented stitch cams 3, 4 and a central guide canr 5 all of said cams being, mounted in a well known manner upon the cam block 2, the latter being arranged to slide upon the cam plate of the cam carrier radially with respect tothe needle cylinder 1.

Heretofore so far as I am aware in machines constructed in accordance Ywith the disclosure of the said Hemphill Patent 933,443 the Anarrowing pickers are mounted upon the cam block and they have functioned in a well known manner to elevate needles at each end ot the activerseries in the formation of heelsf and toes.

,Such location ofV the narrowing pickers is wholly satisfactory where they needle cylinder is of the usual diameter-such for eX- ample as 3%. or 3%. In a machine of that diameter needle cylinder, the needles are elevated singly duringjreciprocating, work at such a time that the latches are properly opened and are not presented, either in a closed or in a partially opened condition at the opening or throat in the latch ring. Where however, the needle cylinder is of small 'diameter-such for example as 2 or 221g '-it has been necessary heretofore to slowk downmaterially the speed of the machine in reciprocating knitting for they reason that the small diameter of the cylinder necessitates placing the pickers sov close to the throat orvopening in the: latch ring thatv were theneedle cylinder reciprocated at the normaljvspeed` for lreciprocating work, the needles wouldfrequently be presented to the throat-in .the latch ring: with the latches closed or partially closed, the elevating of the needles by the pickers frequently actually occurring in the throat or opening of the latch ring.

I have overcome this objection in the manner hereinafter set forth and have been enabled, because of my invention, so to speed up the reciprocating work in circular knitting machines of small diameter that a single machine will produce siX pairs a day more than heretofore.

Thelatch ring is indicated at 6 and is desirably mounted as disclosed in the said Hemphill patent and is provided with a throat or opening w'ardly converging edges 8, 9. The thread guides or fingers are received in said throat in Vthe customary manner. Herein I have represented three such guides at 10 in Ifigs. 21 and 3. They are respectively mounted so as to be moved into and out of functioning position in a manner not herein necessary more fully to describe.

The narrowing pickers are represented at 11 and-12 in the several figures. They are desirably of thegeneral structure shown in the Ysaid Hemphill Patent 933,443 and are mounted for the usual movement upon ino clined studs 13, 14 in a manner that need not beV more fully described. VEach of said narrowingpickers is provided with a functioning end 15, 16 Vsuch as shown in the said Hemphill patent.

lWhen the needle cylinder is reciprocated in either direction the leading needle of the active series engages one Vof the narrowing pickers and is thereby' lifted into inactive position but retains its loop. The snapping voifof VsuchV functioning narrowing picker from its engagement with said needle frequently causes the latch of such needle to close or partly to close with the result that in a machine of small diameter wherein the narrowing pickers are mounted as heretofore, the said closed Vor partly closed latches strike the opposite inclined edge 8 or 9 of thethroat 7 as the case/mayV be or else the saidlatches remain closed and fail to take the yarnV after being' picked down again into action-by the widening picker. This produces ahole in the fabric and in my experience very many stockings have been spoiled because of this action. f Y Y It is the purpose of my invention not only to prevent the formation of the said'holes but also to speed up the reciprocations of the Ysmall diameter machines. This I accomplish by moving the narrowing pickers circumferentially from the knitting cams a distance proportional to the difference in diameter between the Vsmall diameter needle cylinder and the normal sized needle cylinder. AOtherwisevstated, I compensate for the small diameter ofthe'needle cylinder by increasing the distancek between the knitting cams and the narrowing pickers so as to aord time 7 having bevelled or lup-V for the narrowing pickers to function properly and to move the needles one at a time up to the inactive level before 'such needles can enter the throat 7 with kits latch closed or partially closed as the case may be.

While the result which I have described may beV accomplished in different ways I desirably provide upon the main cam block 2, supplemental supports for the narrowing pickers. To that endV I have, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3, provided two vsubsidiary or supplemental blocks or supports 17, 1S securedy by one or morek screws 19e, 20 to the flange or base portion of the main block 2.

' It is to be understood that myinvention may be otherwise practiced, for example by securing the subsidiary supports or block to some other part of the mechanism than/the block 2 Yor the said block 2 maybe otherwise cast or shaped so as to supportthe narrowing pickers at the proper position." VPreferably, however, VI employ the construction Vdescribed and largely for the reason that I am thus enabled to apply my invention to small diameter knitting machines now in vruse,rit v being necessary merely to construct the sepadiameter knitting machine in reciprocatingV work at'the same speed at 'which the larger diameter machines are customarily operated and thus to obtain the increased production stated.

It Ywill lbe realized from the foregoing description that, in accordance with my invention, in small diameter machines, I start the picking'up at the same point relative to the stitch cams in such small machines that the picking starts in a machine of large di'- ameter. Inasmuch as in the small diameter machine the picker lets go quicker ofthe needle it is lifting, owingv to the small di ameter of the machine, the difficulty to which I refer has beenencountered and the same is overcome 'by me as herein-disclosed.

In the'small diameter machines as conpickers directly into the throat' or opening of the latch ring. In accordance with my invention, andy as shown in Fig.v 3, the needle, indicated at 21, is fully elevatedV by the picker before said needleQl-reaches the said throat or opening. i Y Y The difficulty to which I have referred has been recognized inthe art as a great one and vI am awarefthat various attempts have been made'to overcome the samebut wholly without success. I am enabled, by y `production and also at a small-'expense uto iso apply my invention to" existing machines Having thus described one illustrative embodiment-y of my invention, I desireit tol` be understoodv thatl although specificv terms are employed, they are usedL in a generic and descriptive sensei and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being Set forthin the following ClatimlS' Claims: Y

l.y In smal" diameter, latch needle, circular, hosiery, knitting machine having a needle cylinder and a cam carrier the diameter of the former of which does not exceed substantially two and a quarter inches, a cam block on said cam carrier having knitting cams and a pair of narrowing pickers at opposite sides of said knitting cams, and subsidiary supporting blocks carrying said narrowing pickers for the purpose set forth, a latch ring having a throat with bevelled edges, one or more movable yarn guides adapted to 'be ositioned in said throat opening, the bloc s for the narrowing pick* ers being supported in such relative position to the opening in the latch ring that each narrowing picker functions to elevate needles to the inactive level before such needles can enter the throat of the latch ring.

2. In a small diameter, latch needle, circular, hosiery, knitting machine, a needle cylinder having a diameter not substantially exceeding two and a quarter inches, a cam carrier having a main cam block 2, stitch cams thereon, a pair of narrowing pickers at opposite sides of the stitch cams and supplemental blocks 17, 18 supporting said narrowing pickers, a latch ring having a throat with bevelled edges, one or more movable yarn guides adapted to be positioned in said throat opening, the blocks for the narrowing pickers being supported in such relative position to the open-A ing in the latch ring that each narrowing picker functions to elevate needles to the inactive level before such needles can enter the throat of the latch ring.

3. In a small diameter, latch needle, circular, hosiery, knitting machine, a needle cylinder having a diameter not substantially exceeding two and a quarter inches, a cam carrier having knitting cams, a support for the knitting cams, a narrowing picker at one side of said knitting cams, and a supplemental support for said narrowing' picker suHiciently removed from said knitting cams to secure the elevation of needles by said narrowing picker at a time substantially earlier than would be the case were said narrowing picker mounted upon the main support for the knitting cam, a latch ring having a throat with bevelled edges, one or more movable yarn guides adapted to be positioned in said throat opening, the blocks for" the narrowing pickers 'being supported in suchvrelative position to the opening` in the* latch" ring that eachy narrowing, picker functions to elevate needles to the inactive level before suc-lr needles# can enter 'the' throat of thef latch ring.

41 In a small diameter', latch needle, circular, hosiery, knitting. machine, a needle cylinder having al diameter not substantially exceeding two and aquarter inches7 a cam carrier, a latch ring having a throat, a cam block upon said cam carrier, knitting cams upon said cam block, supplemental blocks at either side of said main block, and narrowing pickers respectively carried by said supplemental blocks, the construction and operation being such that in such small diameter machine the narrowing pickers are sufficiently removed from the knitting cams to insure the elevation of the needles thereby to the inactive level before such needles can enter the throat of the latch ring.

5. In a small diameter, latch needle, circular, hosiery, knitting machine, a needle cylinder and cam carrier, the diameter of the former of which does not exceed substantially two and a quarter inches, a latch ring having a throat 7, a. cam block 2, knitting cams thereon, supplemental blocks 17, 18 at each side of they knitting cams, and narrowing pickers ll, 12 mounted upon said supplemental blocks and positioned so that e they respectively elevate needles to the inactive level before said needles can enter the throat of the latch ring.

6. In a. small diameter, latch needle, hosiery, circular knitting machine, wherein the needle cylinder is of a diameter not substantially exceeding two and a quarter inches, a needle cylinder and a cam carrier,-

the former not exceeding substantially said diameter, means relatively to rotate and to f reciprocate said parts in the production of a stocking, a latch ring having a throat for the reception of a yarn guide or guides, a series of independent latch needles, knitting cams to operate said needles to take yarn and knit substantially at said guide or guides, narrowing pickers at each side respectively of said knitting cams, and means for supporting said narrowing pickers at such positions circumferentially with respect to the knitting cams that each normally functions to elevate needles respectively to the inactive level before such needles can respectively enter the said throat of the latch ring.

7. In a small diameter, latch needle, hosiery, circular, knitting machine, wherein the needle cylinder is of a diameter not substantially exceeding two and a quarter inches, a needle cylinder and a cam carrier, the former not exceeding substantially said diameter, means relatively to rotate and to` reciprocate said parts in the production of and means tol support vsaid supplemental ,a stocking, a latch ring having a throat for block in such circumferential position with the reception ofY ayarn guide or guides, a respect to the knitting Vcams that each of :series of independent latch needles, knitting said pickers normally functions to elevate 5 cams to operate said needles to take yarn needles respectively to the inactive level be- 15 and knit substantially at said guide or fore such needles can respectively` enter the guides, amain block to support said knitsaid throat of the latch ring. Vting cams, narrowing pickers at each side In -testimonyvvhereo I have signed my respectively of said knitting cams, a supname to this Specification, Y

10 .plemental block for each narrowing picker7 FRANK E. JONES, 

